A British diplomat has been stripped of his accreditation and ordered to leave Russia after being accused of conducting “intelligence and subversive activities” under the cover of his embassy post.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) the officer, identified as Albertus Gerardus Janse van Rensburg, served as second secretary at the UK Embassy in Moscow.
In a statement released on Monday, the FSB said that the diplomat deliberately provided false information when applying for entry permission, thereby violating Russian law.
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RT reports: The FSB also said it had “recorded attempts to obtain sensitive information during informal meetings with Russian experts in the field of economics.” The agency concluded that van Rensburg was engaged in activities “threatening the security of the Russian Federation.”
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The diplomat has been given two weeks to leave the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the UK’s charge d’affaires, Danae Dholakia, to officially lodge a protest. In a brief appearance outside the ministry building, Dholakia was seen arriving with van Rensburg before entering without commenting to journalists.
The expulsion of the British diplomat comes after London announced last week that it would cooperate with other European NATO members to “close off UK waters, including the [English] Channel, for sanctioned vessels,” threatening to seize ships it believes to be part of an alleged Russian ‘shadow fleet’.
Moscow has denied operating a shadow fleet and has condemned the “deeply hostile step,” accusing the UK of planning to carry out “acts of piracy.”
